Hot Club of Philadelphia swings its way on Gypsy Routes

Richard Gordon

The Hot Club of Philadelphia: L-R; Dan Pearce, Jim Stager, Barry Wahrhaftig, Joseph Arnold, Phyllis Chapell. Photo by Howard Pitkow

The Hot Club of Philadelphia: L-R; Dan Pearce, Jim Stager, Barry Wahrhaftig, Joseph Arnold, Phyllis Chapell.

One fine fall evening, Mandorichard got Barry Wahrhaftig, founder of The Hot Club of Philadelphia, on the line for a great interview that allowed WVUD listeners to hear from one of the areas best practitioners of the “Gypsy Jazz” made popular by guitarist Django Reinhardt, violinist Stéphane Grappelli, and The Hot Club of France back in the 1930’s. We talked about the music in general, the Gypsy Jazz scene in the area, and the Hot Club of Philadelphia’s 2015 CD, Gypsy Routes.

The podcast below captures Barry’s enthusiasm and energy and the infectious sounds of The Hot Club of Philadelphia. Check it out!

The Interview

Barry Wahrhaftig of The Hot Club of Philadelphia, Recorded live on WVUD, Sept. 29, 2015; Rebroadcast on Nov. 24, 2015; Host: Mandorichard
29:53
27M

The Music

Artist Song Album Year
The Hot Club of Philadelphia Songe d’Automne Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams 2010
The Hot Club of Philadelphia Indifference, Bistro Fada Gypsy Routes 2015
The Hot Club of Philadelphia La Foule Gypsy Routes 2015

Learn more

  • Want to learn more about Gypsy Jazz and the Hot Club of Philadelphia? Here’s what Barry tells us at the Hot Club of Philadelphia website:

    The Hot Club of Philadelphia was started in 2001 by guitarist Barry Wahrhaftig. They are an acoustic ensemble, dedicated to playing ‘Gypsy Jazz.’ That’s the term used to describe the music pioneered by the legendary original ‘Hot Club of France Quintet,’ which was led by guitarist Django Reinhardt and Violinist Stephane Grappelli. Django and Grappelli were attempting to do their own version of American ‘Hot Jazz,’ as played by stars like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. They used acoustic guitars, bass and violin, rather than horns and drums. Grappelli and Django added some French and Gypsy flavor and created a blend of music that is quite popular and accessible. The HCPhilly mixes the original style of the HCOF, along with their own modern influences.

  • Wikipedia has a decent article about Gypsy Jazz.
  • Guitarists and fans throng to the annual Festival Django Reinhardt in Samoir sur Seine, France, every year!
  • Check out the New World Encyclopedia’s article about Django Reinhardt.

Photo by Howard Pitkow from www.hotclubphilly.com